


Post War Paradise

by CastleSL



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babysitter James, Domestic, Fluff, Jeith - Freeform, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Single-Father Keith, Sven is a baby, jaith - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 16:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19949617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastleSL/pseuds/CastleSL
Summary: Since the end of the war, James has found his duties to be far more lacking than he expected. Luckily, he has a new job of babysitting Keith's son to keep him busy. The perk of being around Keith is pretty nice too.





	Post War Paradise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [matty_macgregor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/matty_macgregor/gifts).



> This fic is loosely based on matty_macgegor's fic "Chlorine", which is an absolute joy that I hope you all can read for yourself! Matty is such a kind and talented blessing, Give her all the nice comments!!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067811/chapters/42703358
> 
> I hope you enjoy this little slice of life piece. Comments are always encouraged and appreciated!

"James!" 

The MFE pilot barely made it three feet inside the apartment before a small body barreled into his legs and hugged him tight around the knees. James smiled down at the little tyke. 

"Hey there, kit." He reached down to pry the toddler off his legs. Sven smiled brightly and only let go when James gave a little tickle to his sides. After that, he was scooped up easily to rest on James' hip. Once he was at eye level with the grown-up, Sven just beamed. James had gotten used to this kind of greeting now that he had become Keith's go-to babysitter. A happy tyke who was full of energy and smiles, unlike his father, who James could hear rampaging in his bedroom. 

"Daddy's upset," Sven informed and James nodded his head in understanding while he reached behind himself to shut the door. 

"Let me guess, surprise meeting?" They were far more frequent than one would expect for a world that had recently achieved peace. The Garrison was constantly calling on anyone they could possibly find to make intergalactic relations run smoothly. Since the Blade had had the most contact with foreign galaxies, Keith was the man to come to for everything. He had the experience that so many other diplomats lacked, so it was an obvious choice to make him the head of humanitarian efforts. 

If only someone had asked Keith first. 

"Fourth meeting this week." Bellowed a voice from the bedroom and James had to hold down a snicker. It wasn't fair that Keith had to be constantly dragged away from his son to deal with menial matters. But seeing him get so mad and pouty was still fun to witness.

"You're doing the universe a great service." James knew how much Keith _hated_ when he said that. Like that measly little excuse actually made up for missing out on tucking his son into bed every other night. 

"Fourth time, Griffin!" Keith barked back before finally emerging from the bedroom in his full Blade uniform. The poor guy had probably already been in his sweats, ready to relax and take an early night in when Iverson called. James almost felt bad for him, if not for the fact James now also had to give up his evening so that Sven wasn't left alone. Apparently, Keith had tried that whole "bring your kid to work" thing and it had not ended well. Not because Sven was ill-behaved, but because he was so cute that hardly any adults actually paid attention to the issues at hand. After a visiting dignitary nearly canceled a meeting just to play with the baby, there was a silent agreement that Sven was no longer allowed to accompany his daddy. And James just so happened to be the only one available for the last minute babysitting. 

The first time had been an accident. Keith had texted Shiro in a panic that the admiral needed to come to his apartment because of a work crisis. Shiro, with all his new and stressful duties, had misinterpreted the text as a need for actual work assistance and had managed to lose track of time for a meeting of his own. He'd spotted James in the hall and tasked him to going to Keith's to help with whatever needed to be done and James had dutifully obeyed. Keith was already running late by the time James knocked on his door and there was no time to argue. So instead of a report, James was handed a squirmy Galra toddler. Not to mention Keith's very serious threat to rip out his spinal cord if Sven had so much as a misplaced strand of hair when he got back.

Needless to say, James handled the impromptu childcare surprisingly well and Sven took an awful shine to him. Keith didn't have much of a choice when he asked James to take on the extra responsibility in the future. 

Not that James minded. It meant he got to spend some quality time with the Garrison's cutest resident, arguably the most envious position to date. (Since the beginning of the war, procreation slowed down to a halt and, despite the war now being over, babies were still relatively rare). 

"He already ate his lunch- I promised him we'd go to the park today so if you could maybe take him down? I don't know how long the nightmare gets to last today so I might not be back in time for supper. There's-" 

"Plenty of food in the fridge, along with recipe cards in the drawer. No desserts, but some fruit is okay. Keith, I know." It wasn't like the first night when James kept expecting the kit to go feral on him at the drop of a hat. James was a seasoned veteran at this. Keith huffed with a roll of his eyes but he didn't argue. If he didn't know James was capable, he never would have asked him to come back. So the Blade turned his focus to his son, instead. 

It always fascinated James about how Keith absolutely transformed between dealing with Sven and everyone else. All the hard lines in his face seemed to vanish and that course outer exterior melted away to reveal a warm smile and eyes filled with adoration. 

"Alright, sweetheart, I'll be back later. Be good for James. If you're still awake when I get back, I'll come to give you a goodnight kiss." He promised and leaned in to wiggle his nose against Sven's. Galra affection didn't revolve around kisses as much as human affection did, so being able to witness Keith's rare displays was always a treat. James sighed. 

"Well, now I'm never gonna get him to sleep. Thanks." Sven wiggled out of James' grip just enough to give his daddy a hug before settling back against James' chest. 

"I'll be good daddy, I promise!" Just to prove his point, Sven crossed his chubby little finger over his heart.

"I know you will." Keith gave his son one more nuzzle before pulling back and-  
James knew it was just his imagination, but for a split second, he thought he saw Keith start to lean in to give him the same kind of nuzzle-treatment. 

"Thanks again, I'll be back," Keith said quickly before ducking around James to open the door and head out to the Garrison briefing rooms. And that left the human with the quarter Galra toddler to take care of. 

"So, what was it I heard about the park?" James asked and the glimmer in Sven's eyes was almost comical. He bounced in James' arms and nodded his head excitedly. 

"Yes! I wanna go! Can we? Can we? Pleeeeaaaaase?" Throughout James' visits, Sven had discovered the power of puppy eyes. When he made his eyes go all moony and jutted his bottom lip out into an adorable pout, James simply had no power to deny him. 

"You know I can't say no to that face. Come on, let's get you changed into some play clothes and we'll go." James had barely set Sven on the ground before the kit was sprinting to his room to yank out all his clothes from his dresser and pick out an outfit that would no doubt clash terribly. Which his babysitter would definitely correct. Unlike Sven's father, James had half a mind to make sure the little tyke always looked presentable and fashionable. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The park, as nice of an idea as it was, never happened. Earth was still going through renovations and local parks weren't very high on the restoration priority list. But apparently, they picked the only day since Earth's liberation to go to the park when it was closed for landscaping and remodeling. They would be adding a fountain and a small children's park. It would have been exciting if Sven hadn't been so crushed. 

James couldn't stand the twist of his heart when those big eyes widened and that little bottom lip started to tremble, though Sven didn't say anything outright. No, he was like his daddy that way, willing to hold his tongue despite the obvious disappointment. He was still a child, however, and he couldn't hide his feelings nearly as well as an adult. And James wasn't about to take the poor kid back home without a smile on his face. 

So, really, it was his moral duty which overrode all protocols he typically followed. James was definitely justified- Keith had tasked him with taking care of his son after all. 

James brought Sven to the Garrison hangars and took him for a spin in his MFE fighter jet (all weapons disabled, of course).

He set Sven on his lap and barely fastened his harness so it fit them both comfortably so the boy wouldn't go flying. 

Loops, barrel rolls, nose dives, all maneuvers that James would have scolded the younger cadets for, but I was worth the showmanship to hear Sven squeal with delight. Every spin was met with rapturous applause and screams to go faster, fly higher. At one point Sven reached his arms out to lay on James' hands, giving the illusion that Sven was in control of the steering. When James briefly glanced down, he saw the wonder sparking in Sven's eyes like nebulas. This kid was going to be a pilot, no doubt about it. James couldn't wait for the day Sven beat all of his old man's records. 

They flew around for hours until the fuel ran as low as the sun in the sky. Sven was still brimming with excited energy as James landed the jet back in the hangar and unbuckled them both. The park was long forgotten.

They stopped for dinner at one of the small chain restaurants that had sprung up during the remodeling. Sal's served both human and alien cuisine, including several Galra dishes that James actually quite liked. Sure the colors were off-putting, but once you got past that, the taste was stellar. Sven got an order of... not chicken tenders because the meat was definitely not chicken but they were close enough. James just got a side of not-fries to nibble on since he wasn't that hungry. 

"Can you sleepover?" Sven asked through a mouthful of nuggets and James chuckled in amusement.

"Not tonight, poppet. I don't know how much your daddy would like that." Keith probably wanted to spend quality time with his son and James wasn't going to barge in on that time. Sven gave a small tilt of his head and jutted out his bottom lip. 

"But daddy likes you!" The boy argued, waving around a nugget for emphasis. "He talks about you all the time!" 

"He does?" Interest piqued, James leaned in closer. "What does daddy say about me?" 

"He says you're too nice." Well, that was a surprise. "Daddy said I gotta be on my best behavior so I don't scare you away." James scoffed and reached over the table to ruffle Sven's hair. 

"That's never gonna happen, buddy. You're stuck with me for a while." Seemingly pleased with that answer, Sven went back to eating and the conversation shifted topics. The boy went into great detail about all his private lessons with the Blade and his fun outings with Lance or Shiro and Curtis. Keith wanted Sven to have a wide array of role models in his life, ranging from Blade members to the Paladins and other aliens that used Earth as a traffic hub. It was a nice idea, and one he respected a lot. James actually remembered the time Shiro brought Sven on the Atlas to show him around. Curtis had this dopey smile on his face the whole time he watched his husband play with the kit, so James wouldn't be shocked if there would be news of adoption in the future. 

"I like when you stay with us." Sven suddenly sounded so serious, it actually took James off guard. "I don't like when daddy has to go to work. He gets all frowny and tired. But when you come over, he's happy again." James... Didn't know what to say to that. Surely he couldn't have such a positive effect. He was just a babysitter. At best, he relieved Keith of some stress and that was all. James stammered when he realized Sven was staring up at him, expecting a reply. 

"W-well... Then I guess I'll have to keep coming over, won't I?" It wasn't long after that conversation ended that they finished eating. 

With all the excitement of the day and with a full belly, Sven was ready to for a long night's sleep. His eyes drooped and his feet dragged until James took pity and carried him the rest of the way back to Keith's apartment. 

By the time James got Sven back home, it was only a matter of minutes before Keith walked in after them. Sven tried to give an excited greeting, really he did, but he was just so tired, all he could manage was a muffled whine and reaching out to Keith with grabby hands. James handed the child over and Keith happily took his son into his arms, hugging him close and nuzzling his tiny cheek.

Keith looked exhausted. There were shadows under his eyes and his pallor was dimmed. Garrison meetings could be excruciating at times and James could only imagine that Keith hadn't been allowed a break since the second the meeting started. 

"I'm gonna make some dinner." He decided aloud, knowing that Keith would try to protest. He didn't let him. "Go tuck Sven in, it'll just be something quick." It was too late to make a four-course meal, but James could handle making something as simple as pasta or sandwiches. It seemed like the meeting took more out of Keith than James initially thought because the Blade just nodded his head in acceptance.

"Say goodnight to James, Sven." Keith turned around so that Sven could properly face his babysitter. The poor kid was barely conscious, but he whined at the thought of having to say goodbye. "Come on, sweetheart, you'll see him tomorrow." That promise seemed to do the trick. Sven gave a weak little wave of his hand and opened his eyes just enough to look at James. 

"Goodnight, Kotek." He mumbled tiredly, though Keith suddenly stiffened. James just tilted his head in confusion. Kotek? He'd never heard that word before, and he'd actually made an effort to learn some of the Galra language. Plus, Sven had never gotten his name wrong before. He opened his mouth to ask but never managed to get out the words. 

"I'm putting him to bed- you can start dinner." Keith said hurriedly before rushing into the bedroom. Sven didn't seem bothered by the fast pace since he was out like a light on his father's shoulder. That was another thing James realized about Sven after knowing him for so long. Once he was asleep, he wouldn't wake up for anything. Either he woke up on his own or he stayed dead to the world. James did not envy Keith for when the time would come that Sven would need to be worked up for school. 

James stayed where he was for a moment before eventually shaking it off. Sven was young and tired, one slip of the tongue wasn't something to dwell on. Maybe there was a Blade member named Kotek that James reminded Sven of. Nonetheless, James had promised to make dinner and it would only take a few minutes for Keith to change Sven into some pajamas and tuck him in bed. He walked into the small kitchenette and set to work. The Fridge was stocked with fresh produce, plus some frozen prepackaged dinners that James couldn't believe were still being issued by the Garrison. They weren't filling at all and hardly had any flavor to make up for it. 

Apparently, Keith decided to take a shower, based on the distant sound of running water. He must have been desperate to let the hot water ease his tense muscles and refresh his drab mental state. Not that anyone could blame him. Even with air-conditioned rooms and state of the art ventilation systems, the Garrison could become too pristine at times, bordering on sterile. There was no freshness in the air, only filtered cold pouring from the vents. Sometimes a shower was the only thing to help you not feel like a statue. 

Plus it gave more time to prepare dinner, which was helpful. 

Eventually, James just settled for throwing some chopped peppers and onions into a pan and frying them up with sausage. It wasn't the most refined meal (James had prided himself on much better quality dinners) but Keith needed something hardy and filling. While the meat and veg were cooking, James cut some rolls in half and tossed them in the toaster for a minute to get them warm and crisp, because what was the point of making all this food if every detail wasn't perfect? 

Maybe James was overdoing it, sure. After all, Nadia always teased him that he turned into a house husband whenever he went over to Keith's place, but that wasn't it at all! He just really loved spending time with Sven and making sure Keith had a good meal to come back to after a long day of dealing with work.

...

And okay, maybe that sounded like a house husband but at least James was damned good at it.

By the time Keith finished his shower, changed, and came back into the kitchen, the whole apartment smelled delicious. Hell, Keith practically floated into the room like a Saturday morning cartoon character following the visible smells of a tasty dish. James placed one of the sandwiches on a plate and Keith took it like he was cradling a precious treasure that would shatter if he breathed on it wrong, the drama queen. 

"I owe you my life. Take my ship. I'll give you the security code to my credit card." James rolled his eyes as he made himself a plate and followed Keith to sit down on the sofa. Keith already had the roll stuff in his mouth by the time his butt made contact with the cushion and the moan that slipped out was practically sinful. James made a mental note to get Keith some more home-cooked food in the future, prepackaged meals were clearly depriving him. 

"You don't owe me anything. Though I'm holding you to that security code. I know that severance pay you get from the Garrison and I've got some bills to pay." Being an MFE pilot paid well and all, but since MFE's were no longer Earth's only defense, their relevance had dwindled. And a shopping spree sounded pretty good right about now.

"If you keep making these rolls then I'll buy you a house. Two houses." Keith took another bite and seemed to come back down to earth. James continued to eat in peace. "How was the park?" 

"Closed for landscaping, so I took Sven to the hangars and we did a few laps in my ship," James answered easily- then froze when he realized Keith was staring at him. "I mean... uh-"

"You took my son on a joy ride in a militarized ship without telling me?" Keith's voice was cool, even, and absolutely terrifying. James really hoped that there wasn't a knife hidden anywhere in Keith's loungewear; he rather liked his head still attached. 

"Yes?" There was a pregnant pause, the two men just staring at each other for what felt like an eternity.

"Did he like it?" Keith asked, just when James thought the silence might suffocate him.

"Yeah, he was laughing the whole time. I think he would have only liked it more if I was in the co-pilot seat and he was the one steering." If James was gonna be strangled for taking the kid on a ride, he might as well be honest.

"I hope you'll take me up with you two next time." Keith's face broke out into a smile that had James' heart skipping a beat. How was a half-alien spy allowed to have such a soft and endearing smile? It was absolutely insane. James dumbly nodded his head. 

"S-sure. Anytime." They settled back into silence as they finished eating, Keith with a content smile on his face and James trying to force his cheeks to stop impersonating a tomato. He could feel his whole face burning but Keith ever said a word about it. Eventually, he spoke up again. "Hey, you mind if I ask you something?" Keith shrugged his shoulders and took his last bite of food. 

"You don' need to ask, James, but I'm reconsidering the credit card thing." James shook his head and set his plate down on the coffee table. 

"Sven called me that thing today, but it was in Galra so I wasn't sure what it meant." He hadn't heard it before so it took him a second to remember how Sven had pronounced it. "Kotek. Is there anyone in the Blade called that?" Keith's shoulders sagged with relief and James briefly wondered if he had been expecting something else. 

"No, no one's named that in our ranks. It's an old Galra term that fell out of fashion when Zarkon started his siege on the universe. People only started using it recently." Keith explained. "There's no direct translation in English, but the closest thing is," his gaze fell away from James and it might have been the lighting, but James could have sworn he saw the tips of Keith's ears darken. "Beloved Protector."

James' eyes widened and he couldn't help but turn to look towards the bedroom door. Beloved protector? Sven actually thought so highly of him? He couldn't believe that he'd actually made such a positive impression on the boy. "I'm honored." 

"You should be. Most kits only understand that word when it comes to parental figures or lifelong guardians." Keith tucked his knees up to his chest so he could squish himself into a ball. James shook his head and stood to gather up the plates.

"Come on, I'm sure he calls a bunch of people that. I'm just a babysitter." There were plenty of others that Sven saw on a much more consistent basis, like Krolia or admiral Shirogane. 

"He likes you!" Keith called after him, though he stayed right where he was. "I've never seen him take to anyone so quickly. He's friendly and all but you're special. He trusts you like a fath-" A fake cough covered up that last word. "Like a friend."

"And what about you?" James asked as he walked back to the couch with two mugs of tea. One with two sugars for him and the other with about a gallon of milk, five sugars, and some tea flavor for Keith ("I spent two years of my life eating alien meat and roots, let me enjoy my sugar milk, Griffin."). He gave the tea over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Keith took a sip of his tea before answering. 

"I let you take my son on adventures without making you wear a tracker on your ankle, what do you think?" It was a fair point, most people didn't dare to ruffle Sven's hair for fear of getting that hand bitten off. Still, James looked at Keith expectantly until the Blade sighed. "Yes, I trust you, James." Saying it out loud actually made Keith pause. "I... I really do trust you. With my life." Pulling himself back together, Keith straightened his posture and held his mug of tea dangerously close to his mouth. The steam was making his cheeks warm up. "What else did Sven talk to you about?"

"Oh! Well, he told me about Kolivan teaching him to climb on his own." Keith rolled his eyes with a pained sigh. 

"Yeah, I found him on top of the cabinets after that little lesson. Blade elder or not, I gave him a piece of my mind." James snickered. 

"Why? Sven seemed really happy to learn it! And I'm sure Kolivan had his reasons." Kolivan didn't strike James as the type to do anything without proper cause.

"He wanted to start working on Sven's stealth skills early but I don't need a stealthy toddler! I have a hard enough time keeping track of him as it is." Keith lamented and James nodded his head in sympathy. He didn't know what he would do is Sven decided to go off and disappear while he was watching him. But that did bring up something else that had been nagging at the back of his mind. 

"You know... If you ever needed an extra set of hands- even when you're around. I could um..." Suddenly James' tea was incredibly interesting because he couldn't pull his eyes away from his mug. "I wouldn't mind coming over to help- not that I think you can't handle it! You're a great father! I was just-" 

"James," Keith interjected before he had to watch the pilot combust into a ball of flames. "Are you offering because you want to or did Sven ask you to stay with his puppy dog eyes?" Those eyes were a deadly weapon and Sven was finally starting to realize how much he could get away with when his eyes went all big and pouty. 

"Well, he did ask me to sleep over," James admitted and Keith snorted in amusement. "But I also really wouldn't mind coming over more. You know I love Sven and I lo- _really like_ being able to hang you with you when you get a second to breathe." Yep, James felt his whole face go from cool to almost as hot as his tea. Keith stared at James for a long few seconds before taking a sip of his tea. 

"It's tempting. But I'll have to hold off on that sleepover. You gotta buy me dinner first, Griffin." James choked on his tea and Keith tried to feel bad, he really did, but he couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. 

James stared at Keith. He hadn't heard Keith laugh in... well, ever. A quiet chuckle every now and again, sure, but a proper laugh? James honestly didn't think Keith was capable. And yet there he was, giggling at James' embarrassment and trying to unsuccessfully hide his smile behind the rim of his mug. He really did seem to smile more around James... maybe Sven's observation's weren't entirely unfounded. 

"Would you say yes if I offered?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Keith's laughter dissipated so quickly it made James shrink back a little. God, he had fucked up. He'd let Sven's ideas get into his head and now-

"Yes." 

"What?" James felt a little light-headed, well actually, a lot light-headed. But Keith seemed as steady as ever. 

"I would say yes to dinner if you offered." Keith clarified and deliberately set his mug down so he could give James his full and undivided attention. "The question is, are you really offering?"

"I-..." James' throat felt like sandpaper and his tongue was three sizes too big in his mouth. "Yes. Yes, I- I want to take you to dinner. I can find a pace we can bring Sven and-"

"How about just us? Tomorrow night?" Keith interjected and now was about the time James was gonna wake up. Any second now. Because this wasn't really happening. He must have fallen asleep after tucking Sven into bed because there was absolutely no way that Keith was suggesting they go out to dinner as a couple or even just in general. Keith seemed as real as ever, though, especially when he scooted two precious inches closer. "I can have Zethrid and Ezor watch Sven for the night and it can just be the two of us." 

"Yeah, two of us." James agreed, still feeling like he was in a daze. It was hard to tell, but suddenly Keith was super close- or maybe James leaned in, he didn't remember. All he knew was that Keith's face was close enough to count his eyelashes and know for certain his cheeks were a dusty pink color. God, he was so beautiful... all James had to do was lean in and-

They both leaped away from each other as James' phone let out an obnoxiously loud ping. James almost ignored it but his drilled in sense of protocol forced him to fish his phone out of his pocket and glared at the message. Nadia's name glowed back at him.

**Cap! Did you get lost in Keith's eyes again? Where are you?**

Along with Nadia's inquiry, James noticed the time and hissed through his teeth. No wonder Nadia was worried, he'd told them he would be back at their place hours ago. 

"Ah, shit. I didn't realize how late it was." James hastily stood up from the sofa and Keith followed him to the door. It really was late, far past curfew for most Garrison officers and James _never_ broke curfew. He looked down when his phone buzzed with another incoming message. 

**If you died, RIP. But if you're finally getting laid then I'M SO PROUD!! :D**

Two seconds passed. Another message came in. **Ryan said that was inappropriate. He's making me type this. :(**

James rolled his eyes at his phone and, before he could read anything else, shoved it into his back pocket. Keith came up beside him, hands crossed loosely over his chest. "Thanks again for watching Sven. You know you don't have to always-" 

"I want to." James hadn't meant to cut him off but he had to make sure Keith knew how he felt. "Sven's an amazing kid. Watching him is one of the best parts of my week now." He'd take Sven's bubbly energy over boring meetings and supervising flight drills any day, hands down. 

"Just Sven?" There was something in Keith's eyes. A question, some kind of search for validation, but James tried not to stare long enough to figure it out. He shrugged. 

"I mean, his father's pretty alright too when he's not working himself to the bone." Not like Keith actively tried to be as busy as humanly (Galraly?) possible. He barely even had any time to run training with the Blade anymore, not unless he wanted to give up time with his son. "If you ask me, all these meetings are making him go soft." 

"Soft?" Keith scoffed and gave James a shove to the shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to knock James back a step. "I'll take you on in sparring any day, we'll see who's gone soft." There was no doubt that Keith could kick James' ass, even after months of non-combative fieldwork, but that didn't mean James wouldn't give him a run for his money. They both sighed when James' pocket dinged several times, no doubt Nadia again. Though he hadn't messaged back so maybe the others were getting worried too. 

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Keith nodded his head and James gave a small smile before turning to leave. If he said anything more he would only make a fool of himself. 

"James, wait." 

James barely turned all the way back around before he felt a pair of soft lips against his cheek and after that, his brain was just a mass of short-circuiting synapses. 

"I'll see you tomorrow." Keith's face was bright as a traffic light but James thought he never looked prettier. 

"Y-yeah. Tomorrow and dinner." Keith's smile only got brighter and James felt his knees go weak. He was going to treat this man to the nicest dinner in town if it killed him. Or his bank account, either way, it didn't matter. James took another step towards the door without actually turning away from Keith yet. 

"Goodnight." The door opened, James only hesitated a second before crossing into the hallway. Keith nearly followed him out bu kept himself grounded by holding onto the edge of the door. 

"Goodnight, James." 

The door couldn't have closed any slower and as soon as it clicked shut James had to double over just to keep himself from cheering like a lunatic. _Dinner_. He had dinner plans with Keith _tomorrow_ and he was never going to sleep tonight. No, he was going to be tossing and turning all night and once his team saw the permanently fixed smile on his face it would be all over. They'd never leave him alone about it, especially Nadia. 

James didn't loiter around Keith's door much longer, which was a shame. If he had stuck around, he might have heard Keith on the other side of the door. The ever so stoic leader of the Blade of Marmora had his back pressed to his front door with his hands clamped over his mouth to muffle his own screaming. 

Though they obviously couldn't see it, Keith and James had matching grins for the rest of the night. A date. They had a proper date. 

(Nadia ended up interrogating James until the early hours of the morning and Shiro had the pleasure of listening to Keith ramble happily on the phone until around the same time.) 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
A week later, Sven got his wish to have James sleepover and all three of them went out for that flight in Jame's ship. 

A few months after that, James moved in and Sven was more than happy about the new arrangement. Saying goodbye had been getting harder and harder every day for both him and his daddy. 

A year after that, Keith sat his son down and asked him if he'd be happy adding James to their little family forever. He said yes and started calling James papa that very same day. He also got to be the ring bearer at his dads' wedding that fall. 

Happily ever after didn't exist in a post-war universe, but they came pretty damn close. 


End file.
